Tag: Canyon 2 Fire

Canyon 2 Fire caused by ember fromprevious fireThe Canyon 2 Fire destroyed approximately 15 homes and damaged 45others in Anaheim, California

The red dots represent heat detected on the Canyon 2 Fire by a satellite at 2:54 a.m. October 10. The yellowdots were detected at 12:54 p.m. October 9. The Canyon Fire started September 25, and the spread was stoppeda few days later. Click to enlarge.

The Canyon 2 Fire that burned 9,200 acres and destroyed or damaged 60 homes started

from an ember that blew from the previous Canyon Fire that blackened 4,300 acres south

of the 91 Freeway between Anaheim and Corona, California.

The cause of the Canyon 2 Fire was released Monday by Anaheim Fire & Rescue Chief

Randy Bruegman. According to the LA Times, Chief Bruegmann said the ember originated

about 20 feet inside the fireline of the first fire, the Canyon Fire, and was blown about 50

feet into brush outside the line.

The Canyon fire damaged four homes and started July 25 when a Caltrans road flare was

knocked off the 91 Freeway into grass by a passing vehicle. The Canyon 2 Fire began

October 9.

Interim Chief of the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA), Patrick McIntosh revealed

October 25 that the first full dispatch of fire suppression equipment to the Canyon 2 Fire

occurred 71 minutes after the first report of “smoke and flames”. By the time the first units

arrived, the new fire was well established. The Chief said he would recommend to the

County Board of Supervisors an independent review be conducted of how the fire was

handled.

The OCFA has the responsibility under a contract for suppressing vegetation fires within

Anaheim city limits. Monday the LA Times reported Anaheim Chief Bruegman said that

arrangement is currently under review.

Our Opinion

Of course hindsight is always 20/20, and investigations could confirm this or not — but a

person could argue that if the OCFA had done two things differently, there may have been a

vastly different outcome for the Canyon 2 Fire.

1. Thorough mopup of the first fire, the Canyon Fire. Most wildfires are completely

extinguished hundreds of feet inside the fireline or perimeter. The ember that the wind

blew from the fire 15 days after it started, was only 20 feet from the perimeter.

2. A reasonably quick and aggressive attack of the new fire, the Canyon 2 Fire, rather than

a 71 minute delay.

Bill Gabbert November 6, 2017 California, Canyon 2 Fire, Canyon Fire 2 Comments

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Interim Fire Chief Patrick McIntosh atOctober 25 news conference about theOrange County Fire Authority’s responseto the Canyon 2 Fire.

Dispatching issues may have led to aone hour delay in attacking Canyon 2FireFire Chief calls for independent investigation of early decisions made on thefire that destroyed or damaged 60 homes in southern California.

In a news conference Wednesday the interim Chief

of the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA)

revealed the timeline for actions taken, and not

taken, when the Canyon 2 Fire was first reported on

October 9, 2017. The fire eventually burned 9,200

acres, destroyed 15 homes and damaged 45 others.

For the last week the OCFA has been criticized over

reports the initial response to the fire was delayed.

Chief Patrick McIntosh said Wednesday “flames and

smoke” were first reported in a 911 call at 8:32 a.m.

near the 91 freeway and the 241 Toll Road

interchange in Orange County, California. The

nearest fire station, Station 53, was not staffed

because about three hours earlier the wildland engine was dispatched with four others from

the OCFA to one of the fires in Northern California. Support personnel at the station were

asked if they could see smoke. They went outside and seven minutes later reported they

could only see what appeared to be ash blowing off the previous Canyon Fire.

At 9:27 and 9:28 two more reports came in of smoke near the 91 Freeway and Gypsum

Canyon which is in the same area as the earlier report. At 9:31 one engine from Station 32

and a helicopter were dispatched.

At 9:41 personnel at Station 53 said they could see a column of smoke which appeared to be

building and recommended additional resources.

Chief McIntosh said the OCFA initiated a “High Watershed Dispatch” at 9:43 which

included 7 engines, 2 helicopters, 2 water tenders, 2 dozers, 1 hand crew, 2 air tankers, and

one fixed wing air attack.

The Orange County Register earlier this week reported on some details about the response

of aerial resources:

At 9:52 a.m., the first OCFA helicopter lifted off from Fullerton Airport.But a second helicopter – which a Fire Authority memo dated Oct. 8 saidwas required because of “red flag warnings” in effect that week – did notleave and had to be dispatched again five minutes later.

The fixed-wing planes that would have been part of a “medium level”response were not en route until 10:19 a.m., from Hemet, 51 minutesafter the fire was reported.

There are also questions about the helicopters operated by the Orange County Sheriff’s

Department that were not used on the fire. The ships reportedly have water dropping

capabilities but may or may not be certified by state or federal agencies to work on

wildfires. The OCFA and the Sheriff’s office have been feuding about the responsibilities of

their two helicopter fleets. Historically the Sheriff’s fleet has taken the lead for searches,

while the OCFA has handled rescues. In the last year, however, the Sheriff has been

poaching responses to rescues resulting in multiple helicopters appearing over the same

incident potentially causing airspace conflicts and confusion.

In the news conference the Chief said he will recommend to the County Board of

Supervisors an independent review be conducted of how the fire was handled.

“My heart tells me we could have done something different”, the Chief said, but he wants to

wait for the review before saying exactly what that should have been.

“Our commitment to you and to our community is full disclosure, full transparency, we

have nothing to hide as an agency” the Chief continued. “If there are things that need to be

done better and different, we will do those.”

In Fullerton at 8:53 a.m. the day the fire started, about 9 miles northwest of the fire, the

winds were calm and the relative humidity was 68 percent. But by 12:53 p.m. the humidity

had dropped to 5 percent and a Santa Ana wind was blowing from the east at 24 mph

gusting to 35 mph — conditions that could cause a wildfire to spread rapidly.

We have been writing since 2012 about how a prompt, aggressive attack may prevent a

small fire from becoming something much more serious.

Sometimes a timid initial attack can lead to the loss of structures. The U.S. Forest Service

and other agencies spent a small amount of money on the anemic and delayed initial attack

of the 2012 Waldo Canyon Fire. But later, homeowners and insurance companies had to

spend $353 million for the property that was destroyed in Colorado Springs. Other times a

weak response can result in a large fire that kills many people, such as the 1994 South

Canyon and the 2013 Yarnell Hill Fires which killed a total of 31 firefighters. The Waldo

Canyon Fire also killed two residents. And let us not forget the Chimney Tops 2 Fire. Very

little ground-based action occurred during the first five days which then spread into the

eastern Tennessee city of Gatlinburg killing 14 people, forcing 14,000 to evacuate,

destroying or damaging 2,400 structures, and blackening 17,000 acres.

Thanks and a t ip of the hat go out to Mike.

Typos or errors, report them HERE.

Bill Gabbert October 26, 2017 California, Canyon 2 Fire, prescription 2 Comments

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Do you smell smoke?

The firefighters staffing a helibase near the Canyon 2 Fire in Orange County were probably

aware of the proximity of the fire.

Orange County Fire Authority photo, around October 10, 2017.

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Bill Gabbert October 14, 2017 California, Canyon 2 Fire

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Canyon 2 Fire burns 7,500 acres inSouthern California

(Originally published at 7:36 a.m. PDT October 10, 2017)

The red dots represent heat detected on the Canyon 2 Fire by a satellite at 2:54 a.m. October 10. The yellowdots were detected at 12:54 p.m. October 9. The Canyon Fire started September 25, and the spread was stoppeda few days later. Click to enlarge.

With attention — and resources — focused on the explosive growth and sheer scale of

wildfires burning through Northern California’s wine country this week, crews to the south

on Monday were busy battling an erratic, destructive and wind-whipped fire of their own.

The Canyon 2 Fire started Monday morning in the Anaheim Hills area.

By Tuesday morning, Anaheim Fire & Rescue reported the blaze to be at 7,500 acres. About

1,100 firefighters were assigned to the incident, with 14 helicopters and six planes assisting

from the air.

It was just 5 percent contained.

The evacuation zone was primarily for residences in the wildland-urban interface south of

the 91 Freeway and east of the 241.

Eugene Kogan@eugk

Didn't know about #CanyonFire2 until my flight was about to land at SNA. This was the view from the air.

723 4:07 PM - Oct 9, 2017

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Mandatory evacuations remained in place Tuesday. Some 24 structures are believed to have

been destroyed, but exact details remain somewhat unclear.

Shifting winds were top of mind for crews on Tuesday.

Of note, the coastal marine layer that typically brings with it low-lying clouds and higher

humidities was apparent Tuesday morning. However, the boundary line was pronounced,

and the area of the Canyon 2 Fire was still experiencing single-digit relative humidity levels,

courtesy of the Santa Ana Winds.

Anaheim Fire & Rescue@AnaheimFire

Mandatory evacuations for #CanyonFire2 in effect for homes east of Serrano, north of Nohl Ranch, south of 91 fwy.

332 1:26 PM - Oct 9, 2017

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The Canyon 2 Fire was among several wildfires that blew up Monday in California, fed by

high winds, low humidity and an abundance of fuels. Resources across the state were taxed

as some fires went from ignition to tens of thousands of acres in just a few hours.

By Tuesday, “we’re gonna be as stretched as we can be,” said Steven Beech, an incident

commander with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, according to

the LA Times.

The area is only a few miles from Disneyland. Suffice to say photos from the so-called

“Happiest Place on Earth” were a little more striking on Monday.

NWS San Diego@NWSSanDiego

Quite a boundary between the high humidities and low humidities in northern #OC this AM. #CanyonFire2 remains in low humidity air. #cawx

12 6:25 AM - Oct 10, 2017

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Jason Pohl October 10, 2017 California, Canyon 2 Fire 2 Comments

Amanda Busick@AmandaBusick

Eerie skies over @Disneyland looks like the #HalloweenTime advertisement... #canyonfire2 #anaheimhills

204 1:26 PM - Oct 9, 2017 · Disneyland

170 people are talking about this

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